Evaluation of a Training Program for Credit Union Counselors

Training, Development, and Education assessments have intensified in recent decades, and empirical evidence proves their effectiveness in organizational outcomes. However, the literature shows little research on the results of training in cooperative organizations. This study aimed to evaluate a training program for credit union counselors based on Training, Development, and Education evaluation models associated with logical models. This is an empirical study with a qualitative design. Data collection was performed through an analysis of 229 documents, three semi-structured individual interviews, and a focus group. The results of the research corroborate findings related to the usefulness of the integrated use of systemic evaluation approaches and indicate that these models apply to the context of cooperative training. This study fills a methodological gap in the field of instructional psychology in third sector organizations.

Instructional psychology and teaching reading: Ending the reading wars

This article explores the ‘reading wars’ from the perspective of instructional psychology, which focuses on the environmental and instructional factors that facilitate students’ progress in learning to read. It draws on research (computational analysis and classroom-based experimental studies) to inform a novel intervention that teaches reading through systematic synthetic phonics and real books, rather than the more traditional phonically decodable reading schemes. The article discusses: (1) the criteria that inform curriculum design, (2) the instructional principles that underpin effective teaching, (3) teaching methodology, (4) an instructional analysis that explains why students are perceived to have difficulties in learning to read, and (5) the implications of instructional psychology for educational psychologists.

Goal-Setting in Educational Video Games

Background. The increased usage of educational video games with their strong graphical and technical potential raises the question of how to optimize the instructional elements of gameplay. In this article, the instructional goal was analyzed with the theoretical background of both motivational psychology (goal-setting theory) and cognitive psychology (goal-free effect). Aim. We compared different goal types within an educational video game specifically produced for this context, using MINECRAFT as a content creation tool. Method. Within a quantitative, empirical experiment, 87 students divided into three goal groups (specific learning goal, specific performance goal, goal-free condition) played the video game for nearly three hours per test session to gain knowledge about basic elements of computer science and basic electric engineering. Results. The results show effects of goal-setting on cognitive load and affective measures. Having specific learning goals lowered extraneous and intrinsic cognitive load. Additionally, players following a specific learning goal reported having significantly more fun, indicating the affective impacts of goal-setting. Conclusions. The outcomes of this study have practical implications for the creation of educational video games and theoretical implications for further work within the field of instructional psychology.

Free E-Books May Increase Print Sales: A Study With Mixed Results

A Review of: Hilton, J. III, & Wiley, D. (2010). The short-term influence of free digital versions of books on print sales. Journal of Electronic Publishing, 13(1). Objective – To determine whether the availability of free digital versions of books impacts print sales. Design – Quantitative data comparison. Setting – University Instructional Psychology Department. Subjects – A total of 41 books, each with a free digital version and a traditional print version. Methods – This study used Nielson BookScan data to track print book sales during a 16-week period, 8 weeks before a free digital version of the book became available and 8 weeks after the availability of the free digital version. The authors tracked 41 books and organized them into four categories. The first included 7 nonfiction books, the second consisted of 5 science fiction/fantasy books, the third included 5 science fiction/fantasy books released together by Random House, and the fourth group consisted of 24 science fiction/fantasy books released by Tor Books. The books released by Tor Books, unlike the other books in the study, were available by free download only if a person registered for Tor’s newsletter and the downloads were only available for one week. When a free digital book from any of the other three groups was released, it remained available for several weeks, and more often, indefinitely. Main Results – Combined print sales of the nonfiction titles in the first group increased 5% after the release of a free digital copy. The majority of the science fiction/fantasy books in the second group also had an increase in post-free release sales, with a combined increase of 26%. The combined sales of the Random House titles increased by 9% after the release of the free digital versions. However, in stark contrast to the results of the first three groups, the fourth group of Tor books had a combined decrease in print sales of 18%. While the authors were not able to explain this difference with certainty, they point out that the Tor model for releasing the free digital books (making the free books available for only one week and requiring registration in order to download the books) was substantially different from the models used by the other publishers. Conclusion – The study suggests a positive relationship may exist between free digital books and short-term print sales. However, the availability of free digital books did not always lead to increased print sales. The authors acknowledge a number of factors not fully accounted for, including the timing of the free digital release, the promotion it received, and the differences in the size of the audiences for the various books studied. Ultimately, however, the authors believe the data indicates that when free digital books are offered for a period of time longer than a week, without requiring registration, print sales will increase.